I first met Pasturebird on Instagram, where I ogled their photos of glossy chickens basking in the sunlight, ranch dogs frolicking in the pasture, and weathered cowboy hats propped on pick-up truck dashboards. Were these stock photos? I wondered. In this cynical age of constant misleading marketing claims made by food brands, this glimpse of a pastoral idyll seemed too good to be true. Later, when I spoke with founder Paul Greive in preparation for this post, he confided that this is a common misconception. But no, the farm-fresh photos are all of actual Pasturebird animals and 100% authentic (Paul was gracious enough to allow me to share my favorites here). Pasturebird is one of the few true completely pastured poultry operations in the United States (the only one that ships nationwide!) and I’m delighted to introduce it to you today:

Farmer Paul and I discussed the benefits of Pasturebird’s product from every angle:

Truly pastured. The “free range” and “cage free” claims commonly used to advertise poultry often mean something other that you might expect. The definition of cage free leaves room for overcrowding in inhumane indoor conditions in which the chicken never experience sunlight or grass for the duration of their lives. In contrast, Pasturebird birds live outside, on green pasture, every hour of every day.

A natural diet and cruelty-free. Pasturebird animals eat their naturally omnivorous diet of seeds and insects, and are rotated to fresh pasture every day. They are never de-beaked (a common practice of conventional poultry operations to prevent the birds from damaging each other in over-crowded, stressful, “grow-house” conditions) so that they can forage for themselves in the grass.

Antibiotic-free. In the cramped, unsanitary confines of conventional poultry, disease can spread rampantly. With as much as 70% of United States antibiotics administered to livestock1, with much of that administered to poultry, the rise of antibiotic-resistant “super-bugs” is a reality2, with some possibly transmittable to humans. Pasturebird is a truly antibiotic-free farm, rather than merely “antibiotic-free” by the misleading definition that other unscrupulous producers exploit3.

Nutritionally superior. Humane treatment of animals and environmental considerations often motivate consumers to seek out pastured poultry, but increasingly, the practice is supported by nutritional studies. Pastured animal protein is now found to be higher in omega-3, cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acid and vitamins4.

Regenerative, sustainable. As previously discussed, Pasturebird chickens are rotated to fresh pasture every day where they forage for seeds and insects and fertilize the soil. The land left behind rests for 90 days before the flock returns. By mimicking this eons-old grazing pattern, the quality of the soil is actually increased. Paul (pictured below) takes issue with the concept of “sustainability”, in the sense that sustainability implies no negative impact, yes, but also no positive impact. The result of regenerative agriculture tactics—such as rotating the birds—is soil improvement each year, and healthy, flavorful chicken available for purchase by conscious customers.

I became a Pasturebird affiliate (I’m proud to be an affiliate of a handful of brands that I fully support), so visit their online store to shop! I recommend the Farmer’s Stash… it’s a variety pack of whatever Paul is excited to offer at the moment, and a hassle-free way to sample an assortment of Pasturebird products.

Also, if you purchase with discount code FRESHFLAVOR sometime in the month of July you’ll get 15% off… this means if you purchase a subscription you’ll lock in this 15% off forever! Go do it. I’ll wait.

Now that you’re back, let me tell you I received some tasty chicken apple sausage, and loaded them up with my favorite toppings for a flavor bonanza to kick-start the day. Ingredients of the chicken apple sausage? Chicken, salt, apple granules, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, parsley, celery seed, onion powder, mace.

It can also easily be converted to a loaded sausage dinner by changing the toppings… Perhaps to be explored in a future blog post? 😉 In any case, if you’re in the DIY mood you can create this exactly with this recipe home-made sriracha without refined sugar, potassium sorbate, sodium bisulfite, and xantham gum. Or simply drizzle the loaded sausage breakfast with Huy Fong chili garlic sauce and have a great (pastured) day.

Directions

Melt one tablespoon of coconut oil in a medium cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook the sausage, turning frequently to avoid singeing until the sausages are firm and cooked through (approximately 20 minutes but your cook time may vary). Transfer to a plate, and allow to rest while you brown the potatoes.

Cut the cooked potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Melt the second tablespoon of coconut oil in the skillet, and transition the cubed potatoes to the hot oil. Brown the potatoes, turning frequently and scraping up any crispy bits leftover from cooking the sausage.

While the potatoes brown, scramble an egg in the last of the coconut oil. Set aside.

Transfer the sausages to a serving plate, and slice them lengthwise. Fill with the browned potatoes, and scrambled egg. Top with sliced avocado, sliced jalapeño, cilantro, and chili flakes. Serve warm.

by Fresh Planet Flavor

4.0 rating

4 reviews

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I love what I learn from your posts, and I am excited to subscribe to pasturebird. My mom’s butcher in my home state does spatchcock chicken for her, but I have been unable to find a source here in Idaho with the quality and sustainability standards I require. When I attempted to use the discount code you provided, I got an error message: Unable to find a valid discount matching the code entered. Thoughts on how to correct this?

1- your photos are beautiful
2- I cannot wait to try this recipe
3- Thank you for all the information. I have heard “cage free” doesn’t always mean cage free and have started researching where meat comes from before purchasing.

I love the idea of Pasturebird!
It helps you to know where your food came from and not be worried about what is in them.
Thank you so much for this post and the suggestion, I will definitely start ordering from them!
Also, um, yumm! This looks amazing!
I can’t wait to make it!

You’ve gotten me interested. Here near Austin we have access to organic, pasture raised chickens but I love the idea that you can order this trough the mail. I might send this out to some people on my gift list.

Keep in mind that their pricing reflects that they’re a 100% pastured operation, rather than using conventional poultry farming to fund their pastured “line” (as may be the practice of other farms that offer both conventional and pastured meat).

[…] featuring the real pastured poultry of the Pasturebird farm. Read my first post on the topic, Loaded Sausage Breakfast (Introducing Pasturebird), if you haven’t already. The reasons to support pastured poultry are many, and important. The […]

I got my first “farmer’s stash” earlier this week, and tonight I grilled my first spatchcock chicken. I followed the marinade recipe that pasturebird posted on instragram (subbed agave nectar for the brown sugar) and waited in anticipation all day as I marinated my bird for 7 hours. It was hands down the best chicken I have ever had. Thank you for bringing pasturebird to my attention!